Improvement in folding seats for horse-cars



(1.5. sn nnou Folding Seats fo r florse Cars. No. i66,309. I

Patented Aug. 3,1875.-

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERSJHOTOMTHOGRAPHER. WASHXNGTON D. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

OEVEDRA B. SHELDON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING SEATS FOR HORSE-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,309, dated August 3, 1875 application filed May 22, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CEVEDRA B. SHELDON, of the 'city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved J ump- Seat for Horse Cars, Omnibusses, &c., of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists of an'extra seat contrived to be carried under the main seat when not required for use, and to be readily shifted into'position for use above and in front of the main seat on a jointed and folding standard, rising up, so that it will project from under the main seat between the passengers sitting on it without inconvenience to them, and the extra seat is so jointed. to the top of the standard that it turns up edgewise at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the seat for affording the necessary freedom to the sitters on the main seat to rise up or sit down. The object is to afi'ord seats which may be temporarily brought into use when more persons are in the car that can be seated on the ordinary seats.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of a car, showing my improved seat folded down under the main seat on one side, and adjusted for use on the other. Fig. 2 is a section of the improved seat on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Similar .letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the ordinary seat,and B the extra seat, which I propose to providefor use when needed, and to contrive so that it can be folded under the former, where it will be out of the way when not needed. 0 is a standard for supporting seat B, which is bolted to the riser l) a little below the seat A, and so shaped that it springs outward and upward past the nozing, so as to support seat B sufficiently above and in front of seat A, to be over the legs of the sitters on seat A, and far enough in front to avoid interference with them.

The standard has a kind of locking-joint at F, which holds it up strongly when wanted, and unfastened and folds down readily, and at the top it'is jointed at G, so that the seat will fold over against its upper side, and it has a lug, H, which holds the seat level. This joint, Gr, is not formed directly with the seat,

although it may be, if preferred, but in order to tilt the seat up laterally, as indicated by the dotted lines I, for allowing persons to sit down on and arise up'from seat A, it is made with a plate, J, which is hinged to the seat at K, for so tilting the seat. The joint of the standard and its lug H are arranged between strong ears L of the plate J, which will effectually prevent the seat from oscillating on it. The joint atF consists in this example of a socket-plate, M, with a slotted tongue, N, and

a couple of prongs,.O,i the prongs bei11g"se-- cured to the tongue by a pin, P, going through the slot, so that when the standard is lifted up and the prongs raised out of the sockets the standard may swing down on the pivot to fold the seat, as represtented at the right hand of Fig. 1, and when it is let down, so that the prongs enter the sockets, the pin and the prongs hold the standard upright, but the joint may be constructed in many different Ways, so as to work in the same manner; for instance, it may be an ordinary knuckle-joint with a sleeve toslip over the joint and hold it rigid.

It .will be observed that by the folding of the seat over on the upper side of the arm the top side folds inward, and is protected from the dirt to which it would be exposed if it folded under the arm.

By this plan double the number of passengers now seated in a car can be provided with seats, which makes room for more than can now be carried, both sitting and standing, for as many as these extra seats provide for cannot stand in the space between the ordinary seats Without excessive crowding, while in this way they can be comparatively comfortable.

Havin g thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1.. The combination, with the ordinary car or omnibus seat, of an extra seat, B, supported above andin front of it by a single folding standard mounted on the riser for its support, and which, together with the said extra seat, folds down and under the main seat, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the ordinary seat of a car or omnibus, of an extra seat, B, supjointed to mortised-plate M of the riser, said standard projecting above the seat, and supporting the hinged plate J, to which the seat is suitably adjusted, substantially as sett'orth.-

5. The combination, with seat B and standard O, of the plate J, having the seat hinged thereto, said plate being itself hinged to the standard, as and for'the purpose'specified.

6. The standard 0, jointed to the socket plate M, and having the seat B jointed to it,

substantially as specified.

OEVEDRA B. SHELDON.

Witnesses:

' C. SEDGWIOK,

ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

